this conclusion. Having described the blessings of Messiah's reign, he closes the whole with this magnificent doxology :

"Blessed be Jehovah God,

God of Israel, alone performing wonders;
And blessed be His name of glory,

And let His glory fill the whole of the earth.

Amen and Amen.

Finished are the prayers of David, the son of Jesse."

In the LXXIV Psalm, we are presented with a different picture, Jerusalem desolate, her temple burned with fire, and the adversary reproaching and blaspheming over its ruins :-surely, never was this more applicable than at present; and every lover of Zion may join in the lamentation, saying, "O God, how long shall the adversary reproach? shall the enemy blaspheme thy name for ever?-Arise, O God, and plead thine own cause."

The LXXVI Psalm seems to be Messiah's declaration of His future just government, verses 2, 3, 4-10; and in the following Psalm we obtain a grand picture of the final battle and victory over the enemies of God. The poem is referred by Horsley to the miraculous destruction of Sennacherib's army, in the days of Hezekiah; but the whole piece seems to take a wider range, and the 8th and 9th verses speak far too strongly to be fully accomplished in the defeat of one King, however signal. God's" arising to judgment" is a phrase so frequently used as descriptive of the great and final judgments hereafter to be poured on the ungodly, (see Isaiah ii. 19—21, and other passages,) that we can scarcely refer this Psalm, in its entire fulfilment, to any minor subject. It opens with the glory of God's name being particularly shown to Judah and Salem, and “ there brake

He the arrows of the bow, the shield, and the sword, and the battle." Compare this with the splendid description of the final siege and victory at Jerusalem, Isaiah xxix. 5-10, and it will be seen how exactly the two passages agree, especially the sudden sleep of both horse and rider described in the Psalm, and the sudden destruction foretold by the prophet. Besides, the Psalm expressly states the judgment to be "heard from heaven, the earth feared and was still; when God arose to judgment, to save all the meek of the earth." Isaiah says, "Thou shalt be visited of the Lord of hosts with thunder and with earthquake, and great noise, with storm and tempest, and the flame of devouring fire;" (verse 6.) the two passages indeed seem to be only two modes of describing the same scene. And at the close of the Psalm we find the universal submission of the world to God, as the result of these stupendous events. “Vow, and pray unto the Lord your God: let all that be round about Him bring presents unto Him that ought to be feared. He shall cut off the spirit of princes; He is terrible to the kings of the earth."

SURPLICES.

To many, and perhaps the majority of the members of the Established Church of England, an order to preach in Surplices may appear of little moment: and, as to any importance in the thing itself, such an opinion is well grounded; there are however, some who see and think and feel differently. We are living in that period of the world which has been called by Him who is truth itself, "Perilous times;" and there is not an inch of neutral ground for any one to stand upon. I appeal to Matt. xii. 30.

As a member of the Church of England, to which I am deeply attached, and that class too, namely of the Laity, who, by the highest authority are designated "the Church," I feel that duty enjoins me, and that I am privileged, as fully as any member within her pale, to lift up my voice and enter my "protest" against any thing tending to her injury, no matter by whom suggested; and God willing, I shall exercise my privilege. I know that much, which our highly-talented Diocesan has set forth in his late charge, has the word of God for its basis; and I know also that much thereof, not only has no such basis, but its tendency on the contrary, is to assimilate our Protestant Church with the Romish Apostasy. The root of the evil in the establishment, is not even touched upon in that charge, while there is a great parade about matters as little calculated to

edify, as the stir elsewhere made at this time, about a bone of St. Augustine. All this springs from the same fountain, "Can the Ethiopian change his skin?" Apply as much soap as you please, put on him garments as white as the driven snow, his colour remains the same-and similar to this, is the shifting from a black gown to a white one to preach in.

There is now a wide and rapidly-spreading "heresy " in the Established Church of this nation, call it "Tractarianism" or any thing else, which in canonical language, (vide Canon on dress) is no other than a new-fangled name for Popery. The direction given to the Clergy in our Diocesan's charge, to turn due north or south whilst reading, the sanctioning obeisance to a plain deal table, (though by the refractory ones designated an altar) and the wearing of a Surplice to preach in, all, all tend to foster the “heresy,” and to help forward the work of the "Man of Sin." There are, I believe, hundreds of New Zealanders able to discern the more than folly of all this nonsense, so fully in accordance with the "washing of cups and pots." Vide Mark vii. Any one in his senses must know, that there can be no inherent efficacy in the putting-on of a Surplice; but I have heard from a Clergyman of our Church, that a certain Tractarian preacher is known to put on his Surplice when he engages in private devotions in his closet! I really have not patience with such things --and I cannot rest satisfied, though I candidly own I do not anticipate any change for the better, without imploring every member of the Established Church to ponder well his individual responsibility at this momentous period.

I have said, the root of the evil has not been

touched upon. I can point out its source, together with the only hope of its cure. To the nation as well as to individuals, to the Jew as well as to the Gentile, the following command applies: "Return, thou backsliding Israel!" (Jer. xii. 13.) And, here it becomes me in all consistency, candour and faithfulness to avow, that I am an inflexible upholder of Established Church principles, in the true and pure sense I mean; and while I hope ever to entertain a love to all men, but especially "to those of the household of faith," whether Dissenters or not, I am as inflexibly opposed to Dissent. I say not this hastily, nor without having examined the point. Nay, I will leave it to the "inner man" of all those gentlemen who have entered the sheepfold, whether what I advance be well-founded or no.

Popery in the Established Church is but an infant as yet carry out Baptismal Regeneration and the suggested idolatrous mummery, and the Monster will soon arrive at manhood. The upholders of this Heresy are not contented with climbing over into the sheepfold, but they are endeavouring with all the subtlety of Satan himself, to make out our book of Common Prayer, (the second best book in print,) and our Church, to be liars; while with respect to themselves they cry "the Temple of the Lord, the Temple of the Lord are we!" To be taken to task by a Layman will not, peradventure, harmonize with such exalted feelings, though I trust nothing savouring of an unbecoming spirit will escape me in the remarks which duty prompts me to dwell upon. I think it high time the Laity should well consider their position, and exert all the privileges which they legitimately possess.